fall fever

In case you haven't noticed, I've moved from blogging once a week to about once a month. Partly, there's just not that much going on. Partly, if there is something going on, that means I'm too busy to blog. It's a catch-22. I can only write when there's nothing to write about...which you've also noticed, I'm sure.

Halloween...the SPEA party was fun, especially since I know a large portion of the people there now. Honestly, nothing was as fun as getting together the gangsta costumes. I "tattooed" my roommates with eyeliner, with surprising success. My "bling bling" was a shiny gold "S" covered in rhinestones- actually a Christmas ornament- on a huge plastic gold chain. Tacky to the max. But my roommate took the cake for best accessory. Her necklace was an actual metal dog collar from the dollar store, which earned points for cheapness and toughness, but looked a little plain. Conveniently, as we were leaving for the party, a friend slammed my trunk shut and managed to pull the Toyota symbol off the back in the process. I couldn't be mad-- she now had an actual "hood ornament" to wear on her collar! Don't worry, a little superglue fixed my precious car the next day.

Football...went to my 1st game here. IU vs. Minnesota. The golden gophers tunnelled right through us in the 2nd half. Pathetic. On the bright side, I'd forgotten how much I loved cheering and doing stupid little dances at the game- and we got to be right behind the band. The marching band was an even bigger disappointment than the team- no color guard! not a single flag!

Wisconsin...not sure how this relates to fall, but it was a big football weekend, so it felt fall-like. I went with most of my lab and our boss to the NALMS (North American Lake Management Society) conference. Besides having a very long title, NALMS is a good group, diverse assortment of profs, gov't types, consultants, students, nonprofit types, and more. Really a representation of every career I might want. A little disappointing not to come out with a job or internship (though I may have 1 backup option now), but I heard some good talks, and met some good people, and had lots of fun in Madison. Those are probably more realistic goals, especially for one who's bad at shameless self-promotion. Of course, if anyone in NALMS reads my blog...you really should hire me!!! Just leave a comment with your offer.

Fall at IU was beautiful. At one moment, I actually thought this campus might be prettier than MSU. The buildings do match better. Traitorous thoughts! Nothing can replace my alma mater...it did much better on the natural beauty...and had a REAL river running through it. Now the leaves have fallen and my head is clear. It's really kind of ugly now.

The semester's winding down, which means it's project season. Groundwater modeling consumed the past few weeks...our project has a ways to go but it's satisfying to see results and know how much I've learned. As usual, I have multiple Public management assignments I'd rather not do. Some talks I've heard recently have helped me refine my GIS project idea- if I ever actually do it, I might find some interesting results. Even Statistics has a project which will force me to do work outside of class for just about the first time. Don't expect to hear from me till December!